Swim

Swim conditions

The swim is held the clear blue waters of the South China Sea, with the picturesque beach of Bintan Lagoon Resort as the backdrop. Swimming conditions are expected to be very good, with little current, great visibility and minimal swell. The water temperature is a balmy 29 C.

Choose your start wave for the Olympic Distance event!

To give swimmers more space, the field will start in four waves based on ability and comfort level.

Wave 1: Elite Wave (Men & Women) – invitation only

This is for those who want a high-octane competitive race at the pointy end of the field. These are the qualification criteria:

Men:
– Bintan Triathlon (2017 or 2018) Olympic Distance finish time under 2h30m, or
– MetaSprint Series Triathlon (2018 or 2019) finish time under 1h12m.

Women:
– Bintan Triathlon (2017 or 2018) Olympic Distance finish time under 3 hrs, or
– MetaSprint Series Triathlon (2018 or 2019) finish time under 1h26m.

Wild cards are available for high-performing athletes that did automatically qualify. Email us with your recent results if you would like to claim one.

Wave 2: Men’s Competitive Wave

If you are a solid athlete with some experience this wave is for you! Our recommendation is that athletes who aim for a time between 2h30m and 3 hours start in this wave.

Wave 3: Women & Teams

Age group women and teams will start together in this wave, separate from the men.

Wave 4: Men’s Friendly Wave

Happy to take your time, swim freely and enjoy the experience? This wave has your name on it!

Bike

The bike course takes place on wide, smooth roads past beautiful scenery; stunning wide vistas of Lagoi Reservoir, the manicured gardens of Ria Bintan and other lush greenery. Although the course is not very hilly, it is hardly ever flat either. Total elevation is 400m for the Olympic distance and 120m for the Sprint distance. 700mL bike bottles with water will be handed out at the halfway point of the Olympic Distance Triathlon. Note that the roads are not closed for traffic. However, police will be managing traffic at all junctions.

Download the GPX file: Olympic Distance

The Olympic bike course step by step:

1. Bintan Lagoon Resort (km 1-3) – Hilly
   The first km from transition to the hotel lobby junction goes straight up 30m. Place your bike in transition in a small enough gear to start off smoothly. The road continues rolling to the resort entrance at 3.3km. Note that the road humps will be removed for the event.
   
2. Main road (km 3-12, 15-16) – Flat(ish)
   The wide and straight road past the Lagoi Reservoir is perfect for riding in aero-bars. There are no big hills, but lots of false flat. So relax when the going starts to get a bit tougher, because it is probably the road inching upwards.The Sprint Distance participants make a U-turn at the 10km mark and take the exact same route back. They skip the Ria Bintan loop that is part of the Olympic bike course (see further down this section)
3. Township road (km 12 to 15) – Flat(ish)
   No different from the main road, so hold onto your aero position and keep pushing. Just be aware of a number of big road humps that need to be negotiated. Especially for the first one immediately after the turn off you need to make sure you have your bike back up straight when taking it.
   
4. Road to Nirwana and back (km 17-21) – Flat(ish)
   One big hill features in this out and back section with a U-turn in front of the Nirwana Gardens entrance gate. The drink station is located at the top of this hill at the 21km mark. Slow down sufficiently to grab a 700ml bike bottle with water.
5. Main road (km 22-30) – Flat(ish)
   Back on the main road, remember that there are no big hills, but lots of false flat.
6. Ria Bintan (km 30-37) – Hilly
   The sting is in the tail for this bike course with the beautiful winding and rolling roads past the Ria Bintan golf courses. None of the hills exceed 30m of elevation, but will sap the legs regardless. Look out for numerous road humps. The ones located on down hills will be marshalled.
7. Bintan Lagoon Resort (km 37-40)
   Only one big hill and a few rollers left before the steep descent to transition. Have your hands on the brakes, so you won’t finish the bike with a bang!

• Olympic: 40km
• Sprint: 20km

Run

As is now tradition, the run course of the Bintan Triathlon consists of a combination of off-road (40%) and paved (60%) tracks. It travels the resort estate and visits a great variety of beautiful scenery; through lush greenery, via the world-renowned Jack Nicklaus golf course and past scenic beaches to a palm-tree-lined finishing chute. The run course is undulating in parts, with slightly more elevation (45m) than the old run course, but less steep. Drink stations with water, isotonic drinks and cold sponges are available at least every two kilometers.

The Run Course step by step:

1. Villa beach front (0 – 0.4km) – Flat
   The run starts with a flat grass & dirt track with on one side Bintan Lagoon Resort’s pool villas and on the other a palm tree studded lawn. Stay focused!
2. Jungle loop (0.4 – 1.6km) – Flat
   A beautiful sand packed track through coastal jungle forest. If it wasn’t for the other runners, you’d feel like Robinson Crusoe.
3. Dirt track (1.6 – 2.1km) – Up
   After the turn off from the jungle track, a dirt track continues to circumnavigate the resort villas towards the driving range. This is where the first incline starts of the run.
4. Golf tracks (2.1 – 3.3km) – Up
   Enter the golf course on concrete golf buggy tracks, past the driving range and the very green holes 1 and 16 of the Jack Nicklaus Champion golf course. The track keeps rolling upwards gently.
5. Golf tracks (3.3 – 4.5km) – Down
   After crossing the bike course (cyclists have right of way!) there is a final ramp up before the long winding descent back to the beach starts via holes 14 and 11. The hardest part is now behind, so enjoy the stunning sea views.
6. Hotel lawn (4.5 – 5.0km) – Flat
   Exit the golf course and continue on narrower concrete paths along the beach towards the festival area. Start thinking about your victory dance! …unless you are an Olympic Distance athlete who has the privilege of running this picturesque run course twice.

Get ready for more music and spectator engagement on with additional fan zones to keep the buzz flowing all around the course!

Sunday is the domain of the Youth & Kids athletes. The Youth and Kids triathlon takes place within the controlled environment of Bintan Lagoon Resort.

The swim course consists of a straight out and back route in a calm sea; no swell or current. Although athletes can see the sea bottom throughout the swim, it is too deep to stand at the far end of the course.

The bike course takes place on undulating roads. Braking is an essential skill and being able to change gears and advantage. Youth athletes complete 2 laps of the bike course, Kids athletes 1 lap.

The run course is flat and has one drink station halfway. As Youth athletes complete 2 laps of the run course, they will pass by the drink station twice. Kids athletes complete 1 lap.